It’s no secret that former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino was ahead of his time.
In an era of the sport where running the ball was still king, Marino was throwing for at least 4,400 yards per season with some regularity. In 1984, a 22-year-old Marino threw for 5,084 yards, a record that stood until 2011 when Tom Brady threw for 5,235 and Drew Brees threw for 5,476.
Today, the game is completely different. Football has become a game obsessed with quarterbacks and has made wide receivers the second-highest-paid position in the league.
Marino, appearing on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday, acknowledged that it’s possible that would’ve thrown for 6,000 yards in today’s NFL.
“Yeah, you do think about it,” Marino said. “The rules have changed and all that, but the one thing I would say is we were kind of a little bit ahead of our time going for 5,000 yards having [Mark] Duper and [Mark] Clayton and Dwight Stephenson as our center. We had some really good players. Do I now think that we could throw for over 6,000 yards? I don’t have to prove it… If you don’t have to prove it, you can say it. So, yeah 6,000 yards (that’s feasible).”
"The rules have changed and I would say our offense was a little bit ahead of it's time..
I don't have to prove it so yes I could throw for 6,000 yards" 😂😂 ~ @DanMarino #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/EdkBQEoSAd
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) February 7, 2024
While it would probably difficult for many players who played in the 1980s and 1990s to thrive in the NFL today, Marino seems like one who could see a similar level of success if not more.